Gravity Shock: Elysium
by Ankh117
Summary: Dipper is kidnapped by Gertrude Gleeful, the leader of the Stars of Providence movement and the case goes cold. Two years later Grunkle Stan receives a package from an unknown sender that reveals Dipper's whereabouts. The underground city of Elysium. OC'S involved. Inspired by the Bioshock series as well as Reverse Pines.
1. Chapter 1

**Gravity Shock: Elysium**

**Summary: Welcome to the city of Elysium; the paradise for those chosen by the stars to survive the impending apocalypse. Built in 1984, the city has prospered thanks to our leader and great prophet, Granny Gleeful. Life here is comfortable and fair, children of all ages are given access to education, science is not held back by petty morals from parasites of the world outside, and*SMASH* "Yeesh, I can only stomach so much bullcrap for so long." **

**I own nothing**

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><p><strong>Prologue:<strong>

It had been a really nice day that day. Stan had taken the twins out to lunch at Greasy's Diner for no reason other than he wanted to spend some time with his family. It was the middle of July and Gravity Falls had been getting ready for the annual Lumberjack Festival, with Manly Dan overseeing the festivities, which seemed to bring out more of his temper. Generally a nice, normal day in Gravity Falls that even Dipper was actually more relaxed than he had ever been the entire summer.

"So I saw Gabe at the park the other day doing one of his shows. I'm going to have to repeat myself and say I dodged a bullet there, cause after the show he was under the tree making out with his puppets." Mabel cringed when she remembered the sight.

"I honestly don't know what you saw in that kid. He's not right." Grunkle Stan said as he bit into his burger.

"Music and a pretty face is like catnip for girls." Mabel explained.

"There's no doubt about that judging by your CD and DVD collection." Dipper joked.

"Yeah yeah." Mabel playfully punched Dipper in the shoulder. The two began a playful fight, Grunkle Stan laughed a long with them, a feeling of nostalgia washing over him as he recalled his childhood. Suddenly the doors to the diner thrust open, a blinding like assaulting the patrons of the diner.

"THE STARS SHINE DOWN UPON ME," A voice rang loud and clear. "AND THEY TELL ME, FORGIVENESS!" An old woman wearing a sky blue power suit, and a hat with a bow adorned with a rather gaudy looking gem, entered the diner, her hands raised high above her head. She looked oddly familiar. The crowd watched in stunned silence as two men wearing white suits and blue turtle necks, with none other than Lil Gideon trailing behind them.

"Gideon?" Mabel exclaimed.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Grunkle Stan snapped.

"When did he get out of jail?" Dipper asked.

"People of Gravity Falls, I am Gertrude Gleeful, head of the Gleeful Clan and I to you today with my grandson in hopes to gain your forgiveness for the Gleeful name and to my grandson, who has wronged so many of you," Gertrude announced. She then pushed Gideon front and center to meet everyone's glares.

"Uh hello," He said nervously. "My name is Lil Gideon and I am here to say, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I spied on you and I'm sorry I scammed you and I'm especially sorry towards the Pines family," Gideon approached Stan and knelt down on one knee. "I'm sorry I had taken what wasn't mine, and sent a giant robot after you. I only ask for your forgiveness." It was silent for a minute before Stan finally spoke.

"Gideon, you harassed my family, stole from me, nearly killed my great niece and nephew, as far as I'm concerned I want you to stay away from my family and I. Kids, I think it's time we go." Stan said as he placed the tip on the table. Dipper and Mabel looked at each other.

"Surely you can offer him your forgiveness." Gertrude said. Stan turned to her.

"Forgiveness doesn't come easy when my family was put in danger. I'm sorry, but we need to go." Stan sounded dignified, receiving a minor cheer from Manly Dan and a few other patrons of the Diner as he left. Just as they were about to enter El Diablo, a strange gust of wind came out of nowhere and blew Dipper's hat off.

"My hat! I'll be right back Grunkle Stan!" Dipper called.

"Kid I've got a full stock of hats like that." Stan said.

"Yeah, but that one is special." Dipper said as he ran towards the direction to where his hat blew. It had the stains, burns, and tears from all of his and Mabel's adventures in Gravity Falls, it had too much character about it to just be replaced. In the mean time, Gertrude and Gideon walked out of the diner, Gertrude looking very angry while Gideon nervously wrung his hands. He looked up to his grandmother throughout his boyhood, and now here she was, disappointed and angry with him.

"Honestly Gideon, you should be happy I'm going this far for you. If the stars themselves didn't shine forgiveness on you, then you and your ma and pa would have been disowned from the Gleeful clan."

"But Grandma, I was only tryin' to get a hold of what should be ours and what will be best for Elysium." Gideon said, his eyes had tears in them.

"And you can forget the idea of ever seeing Elysium. The stars may forgive you, but I'm the prophet, I don't have to just as the Pines family don't have to." Gertrude snapped.

"What, but Grandma, I am the only heir to Elysium!" Gidean cried.

"Child, you were only heir because of blood, the stars never chose you and after losing my book and my other amulet, you have lost your right to your inheritance. Now because of you, instead of running my city where I should be, I am touring across all of the US to find my true heir, the one chosen by the stars. Now get in the car Gideon!" Just then a gust of wind blew a hat into Gertrude's face before it fell to the ground.

"Now where did this come from?" Gertrude demanded as she picked up the hat. It looked like the one Stan's nephew wore; speak of the devil, here he came running for his hat. He stopped in an instant when he saw who had his hat.

"Uh...hi...I um...I just came to get my hat." Dipper stammered. Gertrude didn't say a word as she handed Dipper his hat back. It was then something on Dipper's forehead caught her eye. One more gust of wind blue Dipper's bangs away from his face and revealed the big dipper birthmark. Gertrude gasped in shock.

"Oh my word, what a unique birthmark child. I don't think I've ever seen one like it." Dipper felt a hand brush away his hair to reveal the birthmark to her again. Dipper in turn jumped away from the unwarranted contact.

"I am...uh...I'm just going to go, Grunkle Stan is waiting for me. Thanks for uh...catching my hat miss." Dipper as he began to back away slowly.

"No problem child, and you may call me Granny if you like." Dipper just chuckled nervously before running back to Grunkle Stan's car. Granny Gertrude smirked, her eyes and the gem on her hat glowing simultaneously. There was no doubt about it, that was the heir she was looking for.

"Cranston!" She called as one of the men walked up to her.

"Yes ma'am?"

"Make the call. I've found my new heir and we're going to be home in a few days."

* * *

><p>The next day was the Lumberjack Festival; lumberjacks from all around the US and parts of Canada all came to Gravity Falls. There were stands that sold barbecue, spirits, and pancakes as well as desserts centered around pancakes. The scent of maple syrup and pine needles flooded the park as Stan, Soos, Mabel, and Dipper entered the park to set up the Mini-Mystery Shack tent.<p>

"Grunkle Stan are you sure this is wise?" Dipper asked.

"Oh sure, the Lumberjack Festival is one of my highest grossing days thanks to the fact that Lumberjacks are superstitious. Now, where was that plot again?" Stan asked himself as he tried to recall that lot number he was given.

"Why don't we split up, we'll be able to find it faster." Mabel suggested.

"Good idea, Soos you're with me, we'll go left, kids you go right, we'll meet up at the directory in twenty minutes. C'mon Soos. Our lot number is 205."

"Yes sir Mr. Pines." Soos saluted as he followed Stan.

"Race you to find the lot!" Mabel shouted!

"You're on!" Dipper and Mabel began running through the crowd, laughing and causing minor accidents as they raced each other. Mabel found the plot they were supposed to set up. Dipper caught up with her a minute later out of breath, then collapsed on the ground as Mabel jumped up and down in victory.

"Man Dipper, you'd think with all the running around we've been doing this summer, you'd be able to keep up with me." Mabel bragged.

"Bragging makes you less charming you know." Dipper said between pants.

"Hah! I have bragging point saved up and today I used one," Mabel helped Dipper up before she spotted a lemonade stand. "Want some lemonade? Winner's treat."

"Sure, sounds good to me." Mabel nodded before running towards the stand. Where Mabel got all that energy was a mystery to Dipper, then again she does eat an awful lot of sugar. Dipper sat back down on the ground, fishing for Book 3 only to realize it wasn't in his pockets. Oh great, he somehow managed to forget about Book 3. Grunkle Stan had woken them up earlier than usual to pack everything into the car for the stand. Dipper pouted at the thought of forgetting the book, but at least the book was under his pillow at home and not in the hands of someone else. A shadow suddenly loomed over Dipper who turned around to see Gertrude Gleeful and two of her men beside her.

"Uhh...hi..." Dipper said as he got up.

"Good morning child, how are you today?" Gertrude asked.

"Fine...I was just waiting for Mabel, but now that I think about it, she may need some help with that lemonade." Dipper said as he turned around only to find two more of Gertrude white suited men blocking him from meeting up with his sister. He was getting scared, these two men had scarves wrapped around their heads as if they were hiding something.

"Oh please don't be scared of them child, they don't bite...much," The last part Gertrude whispered under her breath. "Anyway, I'd like to apologize again for what my grandson forced your family to endure a few weeks ago, it must not be easy to **sleep** at night after the nightmare he caused." Gertrude's eyes flashed for the briefest of seconds.

"I uh..."Something was wrong, he was beginning to feel really, really sleepy. So sleepy that he was unable to complete a coherent thought"I c...can...slee..." Dipper fell backwards with one of the men catching him. He felt himself being picked up and slung over one of their shoulders; a sudden familiar yell ran through the air as Mabel came running back with lemonade in her hands.

"Dipper! Let my brother go!" Mabel tossed one of the cups of lemonade at one of the men. It stopped in mid air and was tossed back at her, causing her to gasp. She then felt herself being picked up and tossed into a nearby bush.

"Get him to the transport, we need to go now!" Gertrude commanded. The two men nodded as they quickly carried Dipper away. Mabel quickly dug herself out of the bush, spitting out leaves and small twigs.

"Dipper! HELP! KIDNAP!" Mabel screeched as she chased after Gertrude and her men. Two sleek black cars appeared out of nowhere, two of the men climbed into one car while Gertrude climbed into the other.

"HELP! DIPPER!" Mabel screeched as loud as she could. Dipper, who had not yet lost consciousness, looked up to see his sister call out for him. He reached out before he finally gave in to the sleeping spell that had come over him, he was tossed into the back of the car before the last man got in and slammed the door shut.

"HEY!" Came a gruff shout. "LET GO OF MY NEPHEW! POLICE!" Grunkle Stan said as he, and Soos came running towards the car. Sheriff Bulbs, Officer Durland, and several Lumberjacks weren't far behind.

"STOP IN THE NAME OF THE LAW!" Sheriff Bulbs commanded. Gertrude merely smirked before the gem on her hat began to glow an unearthly glow, then her eyes. A bright light emitted from the cars, blinding everyone as the cars sped off. When the light vanished, Sheriff Bulbs called the station to send out other squads to stop the kidnappers and as well as an amber alert across Oregon.

"Mabel! Are you ok?" Soos asked as he knelt down to Mabel who rubbed her eyes.

"We have to go after them!" She cried.

"I'll get the car!" Stan said as he ran to the direction of his car, only to be stopped by Sheriff Bulbs.

"I'm sorry Stan, but we can't have you interfere!" Stan's face went red with anger.

"THIS IS MY GREAT NEPHEW WE'RE TALKIN ABOUT!" Stan snapped! He felt his eyes beginning to water.

"I know, but the roads out of town are steep and we can't have you putting yourself in danger, it wouldn't help anything! Besides, we need to get a witness testimony from your niece." Sheriff Bulbs said sympathetically as Mabel cried in Soos' arms.

* * *

><p>Weeks had passed since Dipper's kidnapping. In that time, Stan had called William, his nephew, and his wife, Sarah about what happened. They arrived in Gravity Falls a day later. William and Stan had gotten into a fist fight, Will blaming Stan for what happened to his son. Stan couldn't blame the guy, Stan blamed himself for what happened. Sarah had broken up the fight, reasoning that it was not Stan's fault before she broke down crying into her husband's arms. Mabel came out of her room only when necessary, but other than that, hardly anyone saw her. Stan had kept the Mystery Shack closed, but as the weeks went on, he was forced to open the Shack again, though it was hard to even lead the tours, but he needed to pay for the necessities.<p>

By the time fall came, Dipper's disappearance had been broadcast all over the country and the police had still been looking. By now, Will and Sarah had decided to move to Gravity Falls; feeling as though they needed to be close as a family now more than ever. Mabel never said a word about their plan, in fact, she hardly said a word for a long time. She didn't joke anymore, faun over boys anymore, or any of the things she used to do, just curly up in her empty room, hugging Dipper's journal like her life depended on it.

Winter came and like the season itself, the trail grew cold, the leads dried up and the FBI were forced to announce that Dipper's case had become a cold case file. The Pines family mourned and held a small private memorial, though they kept hope that one day, Dipper Pines would be found.

And he would be, but not for two years and under the strangest of circumstances.

_"For every choice, there is an echo." _-Sofia Lamb

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><p><strong>End Prologue.<strong>


	2. The Package with no Address

**Chapter 1: The Package with no Address**

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><p><strong> ...June 20th, 2014...<strong>

"So Mabel, how have you been since we last met?" Dr. Carter asked in cheery, but not too cheery voice. He was Mabel's third therapist and she liked him more than the other two. One was a little too warm and fuzzy for Mabel's liking and the other just kept pushing medication after medication, a lot of which she didn't even need. Mabel started sessions with Dr. Carter in August of 2013 and he was both friendly and professional. Mabel had fallen into depression after Dipper's kidnapping, it was recommended by the police that she start talking to a therapist to help with any of the after affects from such a traumatic event.

"I've been...okay." Mabel said. She had changed over the past two years; she had grown several inches taller and had begun to fill out some. Her voice had changed only a little bit, the pitch wasn't as high nor was it as cheery as it had been when she was twelve, but it was still very much her voice. She had stopped knitting bright colored sweaters, replacing them with various darker colored hoodies, her favorite being a black hoodie with a blue and white shooting star on the sleeve. She had traded her mary jane shoes for grey tennis shoes and wore denim skirts over black knee high leggings. Mabel wore her hair in a pony-tail and last December had her braces removed, though that had not been as joyous as she had thought it had been.

"So Mabel, I understand your birthday was two weeks ago, did you have fun?" Dr. Carter asked.

"A little, Candy and Grenda had come over and we watched the Labyrinth and the Neverending Story. After they went home, Mom, Dad, Grunkle Stan, and I went to eat at Greasy's Diner for dinner and cake. Soos bought me the new Call of Robots game and Wendy took me out shopping." Mabel said.

"Sounds like you had a good birthday." Dr. Carter said.

"It would have been better if Dipper had been there too," Mabel felt a lump in her throat. "I appreciate everything everyone did for me, but I somehow started expecting Dipper to walk through the door and say 'surprise!" She could tell her family had been feeling the same way no matter how hard they smiled through glassy eyes.

"It's okay to feel that way Mabel, it's only been two years since the summer of 2012."

"You make it sound as though he is never coming back; he's not dead you know." Mabel could feel the lump getting worse.

"I didn't mean to make it sound like that," Dr. Carter said as he rubbed the back of his head. "Uh...anything else going on?"

"I managed to land a punch on Pacifica Northwest." Mabel answered. Dr. Carter nodded.

"I heard about that, how did you feel when you did that?"

"I felt pretty good honestly."

* * *

><p>Mabel's session with Dr. Carter ended forty-five minutes later. Though she never said it out loud, seeing a therapist had been helpful, she felt semi like the way she used to, but not entirely like the way she used to. Mabel looked up at the sky; the clouds were beginning to darken and the smell of rain was beginning to get stronger and stronger with each moment. It seemed to fit Mabel's melancholy to a tee. School had just gotten out for the summer and Summerween decorations were beginning to pop up all over town. Since school was out, Mabel didn't have to worry about waking up early the day after, which was good, she was planning on a bad scary movie marathon and eating a bowl of candy.<p>

Mabel walked back to her house just in time to feel the first raindrops of what inevitably would be a very long, and wet night. Sarah and William bought a house that was built next to the road leading to the Mystery Shack. It was a small house, three bedrooms, a basement, two bathrooms, a kitchen, perfect for a family of four and their pet pig and cat. Just as Mabel opened the gate she noticed a package sticking out of the mailbox. Mabel grabbed the package, along any other mail that had been stuffed in the mailbox; the usual monthly bills and credit card offers. Mabel examined the package to see who it was for and found something rather strange. It was addressed just to "The Pines," and there was no return address.

"Wha...there's no return address." Maybe it was paranoia induced by the strangeness of the town, but Mabel found the fact that the package was unmarked to be suspicious. The rain tore her thoughts away from the package as it began to pour; the young teenager groaned before running inside, using the package as a makeshift umbrella before finally going in.

"Hi sweetie, how was your day?" Sarah greeted as she brushed her hair, and straightening her nurse's uniform.

"Fine," Mabel said as she put the mail on the table then grabbed a soda from the fridge. "Evening shift tonight?"

"Yup. With Summerween around the corner, we're getting loads of prank victims." Sarah answered.

"Does it get worse when Halloween comes up?" Mabel asked.

"Only a little bit, but that's because everyone else in the US us celebrating Halloween. Anyway, dinner is in the oven, you just need to heat it up for twenty minutes. Uncle Stan and Soos are coming over at six to help your dad with some preparations for some Summerween exhibit Stan is setting up at the Mystery Shack, so you're not going to alone for dinner," Sarah looked at her watch. "I had better get going. I'll see you later sweetie, don't stay up too late."

"Bye mom." As her mom left, Mabel turned on the oven, then went to the living room to watch TV, Waddles cuddling next to her, momentarily forgetting the package.

* * *

><p>"So tell me Soos, when will you pop the question to Melody?" Will asked as he, Mabel, Grunkle Stan, and Soos, talked over some cake after dinner. Soos and Melody had continued dating after they met, they had managed to even keep their semi-long distance relationship stable. Being online gamers had really helped their relationship.<p>

"She's coming to town next weekend, so I was planning to take her to dinner at Marty's and pop the question there, Dude." Soos answered. Marty's was an arcade restaurant in the mall that only let patrons who were twenty-one and up in; the perfect place for Soos to ask Melody to marry him. Soos had been walking on cloud nine ever since he bought the engagement ring for Melody. He even had the ring customized to be engraved with the symbols of their favorite game system.

"I hope you know what you're getting into, Soos, marriage is a pretty big semi-permanent step." Grunkle Stan said.

"Like you would know." Will said under his breath. Grunkle Stan brushed off the comment.

"Oh yeah, if she still wanted to date me even after Giffany tried to kill her, I'd say we're going to be pretty good at this marriage thing." Soos said. Then he remembered something. "Oh yeah, my Abulita is setting up an engagement party and you're all invited. Course Abulite will want to send invites, so you'll probably be getting an invitation in the mail like the day after I propose." Mabel's eyes suddenly widened when she remembered the mail, specifically the package. Mabel jumped from her seat then returned to the table.

"We got a weird package in the mail today. There's no return address and it's not addressed to anyone specific." Will took the package from his daughter and examined it before giving Grunkle Stan a suspicious look.

"Don't look at me, you're the one who makes sure all the deals I make are legal." Stan said as he sipped his soda. Will was technically the assistant manager of the Mystery Shack, and as such, took care of some of the more legal aspects of running the shack as well as making sure all bank accounts and taxes were in order. It was a miracle Stan had not been arrested for any transgressions. Will made sure to keep it that way.

"Well...are ya gonna open it?" Soos asked.

"I don't think we should. It could be a bomb or worse, anthrax. I think we should take it to the police." Will said nervously. Stan snatched the pack from Will's hand and began to open it.

"What are you doing?" Will demanded.

"I think you're being too paranoid. We got a lot of these from anonymous people sending care packages after...you know..." The room fell quiet. "And we're still getting one every few months, so why not open it?" Stan opened the package to find it filled with papers, packing peanuts, and a weird rust red colored tape player.

"This is different." Stan pressed the play button on the tape player. The tape player came to life with, the familiar sound of film rolling within the player, then the sound of static.

_"If you are listening to this, then you are the Pine's Family," _A woman's voice said. _"My name is Rachel and while I wouldn't blame you for your skepticism, I know where Gertrude Gleeful is hiding, and in turn, I know where Dipper Pines is and I want to help you get him back," _Stan, Mabel, Soos, and Will gasped as they crowded behind Stan to listen further. _"In the package this audio diary came in are several items you will need in order to enter the city, Elysium. A map of the location where you will find the entrance, a code you will need to enter, badges of the Star of Providence, a symbol the people here are required to wear, and a map of the city itself. When you arrive, find the Last Hope Bar and I will meet you there, and whatever you do, do not mention your name, it will put you in grave danger. Please, come as soon as you can." _

The recording ended, leaving the room frozen from shock for a minute before will reclined back into a chair and Mabel released the breath she held.

"Dude...the voice on the record is telling the truth," Soos said as he held up the maps and badges mentioned in the tape. Stan snatched one of the maps, examining it closely.

"This is a map of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado," Grunkle Stan pointed to an area that had been circled in red. "This must be where we need to go."

"Dude, check out the map of this city." Will repeated Grunkle Stan's actions, examining the map intently. The map of the city looked like one big star; a small line had been drawn leading to what Will speculated to be the Last Hope Bar.

"Do you think...do you think Dipper is really there?" Will asked as he continued examining the map.

"I...this seems pretty legitimate. What do you want to do Will?" Stan asked. He was sure Will would have chosen the "tell the police," route. Will was quiet for a moment.

"I'm going to go call Sarah. I'll tell her we're going on a business trip." Will said getting up to grab the phone.

"You actually want to go and see if he's there? Here I thought you'd take this to the FBI." Stan said, a small smile crossing his face.

"If I'm given the opportunity to really be there for my son, I'm going to take it, do you still own all of those firearms?" Will asked when he remembered Stan had kept a rather large arsenal of firearms somewhere in the Mystery Shack.

"Oh, you really are taking this seriously." Stan stood up and gave Will a hard pat on the back. His nephew had always been somewhat of a stiff in his eyes, a stiff he loved like his own, but a stiff non-the less, always trying to do everything by the book, never really taking chances; Stan had to admit, this side of Will surprised him.

"I'm coming too!" Mabel announced.

"Absolutely not!" Grunkle Stan and Will snapped at the same time.

"What? Why?" Mabel demanded. Grunkle Stan and Will listed a few reasons.

"It's too dangerous!"

"You might get killed!"

"You're still a child!"

"It's too dangerous!"

"You already said that." Mabel eyed Grunkle Stan and her father. Grunkle Stan knelt down and placed a hand on Mabel's shoulder.

"Listen kid, we love you and we don't want to put you in danger nor do we want to hurt you if this happens to be a wild goose chase." Grunkle Stan explained. He was trying to stay skeptical. This lead that was sent to them could be nothing more than a wild-goose chase, sent by some deplorable waste of a mother's love who would find this sort of thing funny. If it was, there was going to be hell to pay.

"But Grunkle Stan, I can help. You said yourself that I was a good shot and Dad, you have been having me take tae kwon do lessons so I could defend myself. I can help!" Mabel wasn't going to give up easily. If this was her chance to find her brother, she was going to take it. When Grunkle Stan nor her father said anything, they just looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

"Grunkle Stan, Dad, losing Dipper was like having half of myself ripped away from me and it was replaced by guilt from that day. Guilt of not doing more to try and stop them, guilt for not having him come with me or just staying with him and I hate it this feeling and I think he's feeling the same way. Not only that, but Dipper saved my hide a lot over the years and it's my turn to save him. Let me come." Grunkle Stan and Will scratched the back of their necks, something even Dipper used to do when faced with indecisiveness. Must have been a family nervous habit.

"I don't think she's going to back down Dude." Soos said. Will sighed before muttering something along the lines of "your mother is going to kill me," before dialing her mother's work phone and going into the other room.

"Ok, you had better go pack. Just pack lightly and only bring clothes that are easy to move in. We're leaving in an hour."

"Thanks Grunkle Stan." Mabel said as she went upstairs to her bedroom. She was almost skipping in excitement, Dipper was there, he had to be and she was going to go get him and bring him home and their family would be whole again. Mabel grabbed her backpack, stuffing it with the essentials, two sets of clothing, a small first aid kit, and her trusty grappling hook. Mabel then grabbed her favorite black hoodie with the blue shooting star on it. For a moment she looked at that star before rummaging through her closet for her long neglected sewing kit.

Soos had gone home with Grunkle Stan making sure to emphasize how important it was that if anyone asked, they were on a business trip before going home himself to grab his own supplies. Will was thankful it was somewhat busy at the hospital, well he wasn't thankful for the people there, but it made it a lot easier to convince Sarah about their "business trip." It was going to take two hours before they reached the airport, but it might all be worth.

* * *

><p><strong>End Chapter 1.<strong>**  
><strong>


	3. There's Always a Lighthouse

**There's Always a Lighthouse**

* * *

><p>The first thing they did when they left Denver International Airport was rent a car before driving straight to the Rocky Mountains. Stan and Will took turns driving so the other would get some sleep and something to eat and drink, they only stopped driving when they were forced to answer nature's call. The map was leading them past the tree line and up into the Colorado alpine tundra. Grunkle Stan, now driving kept an eye out for any kind of landmark while Will gave him directions on the map. It was sunset by the time they reached the end of the road. A steep decline lead to a large lake at the bottom, much too dangerous for their vehicle, then again, it looked pretty dangerous on foot.<p>

"The map leads to right here." Will said as he got out of the car, the high winds catching him off guard. Grunkle Stan followed the suite and stood next to his nephew as he examined the lake. It was rather large with small shrubs and large boulders surrounding it.

"I don't see anything that indicates any kind of entrance." Will said, a lump forming in his throat.

"Lets not get weepy just yet. If this city is supposed to be a secret, they wouldn't want the entrance to be obvious. We just have to look around for something that might be out of place," Stan snapped his fingers. Mabel was good at finding things. "Mabel can probably find something." Stan opened Mabel's car door to find his niece had fallen asleep, obviously tired from such a long journey. Part of him didn't want to wake her up, but they were on a mission.

"Mabel, honey, we need you to wake up." Stan said as he shook Mabel gently. Mabel stirred muttering something before sitting up.

"Are we there yet?" Mabel asked groggily as she rubber her eyes.

"Not exactly, we need your help though." Mabel shook away what remained of the grogginess and jumped out of the car. She approached the decline.

"So what do you need me to do?" Mabel asked.

"Try and help us find something that could possibly lead us to the entrance." Will said. Mabel was given a pair of binoculars as Grunkle Stan, and her father went looking for a symbol or a door in the area that surrounded him. They had to work fast as the sun was beginning to set, eventually it would get too dark to keep looking. Mabel scanned the lake with the binoculars for the third time before something did catch her eye. Sure the lake was large, but the area itself was fairly isolated, as well as the fact that there were no docks for boats, it seemed off for the lake to have a lighthouse at the north end part of the lake.

"Dad! Grunkle Stan, I think I found something," Stan and Will ran up to Mabel, who proceeded to hand Stan the binoculars. "See that lighthouse, I think that's where the entrance is."

"She's right, here take a look Will." Stan handed the binoculars to Will.

"Well I'll be damned, it was right here in front of us the entire time. Wonder why we didn't notice it before?"

"Heh, see why it was a good idea to bring Mabel?" Stan asked with a chuckle.

"Please don't remind me of how I'm putting my daughter in danger." Will said. He was not in the most humorous of moods; all he was feeling was determination.

"C'mon, lets go grab what we need and hide the car somewhere." Mabel and Grunkle Stan nodded. They hid the car behind a small hill before Grunkle Stan grabbed the package that had been nestled in the back seat. He grabbed the star badges, the map of the city, and the code.

"Okay, here's the plan, we go in, go find that bar and meet our contact." Grunkle Stan placed the pin onto the pocket of his jacket, Mabel and Will did the same. Mabel rummaged through her bag and took out a book with a grey paper cover adorned with stickers of rainbow cats and other cute things.

"That isn't what I think it is, is it?" Grunkle Stan asked with a raised brow.

"I thought it might be a good idea to bring it along, maybe it'll be useful." Mabel answered.

"Just keep it as safe as possible." Grunkle Stan said. Mabel nodded before tucking the book into the newly sewn pocket inside her zip-up hoodie.

"We had better get moving, it's getting dark." Will said as he hid a small pistol withing his own jacket. Before they left, Grunkle Stan decided it wasn't a good idea to take firearms with them. They needed to sneak in and bringing a bunch of weapons with them, especially through the airport, would be suspicious. Will bought the pistol when they stopped at a hunting and fishing shop early that morning.

* * *

><p>The lighthouse wasn't very extraordinary, the outer part of it had been painted a grey color, allowing it to blend into the rocks better which was probably why they didn't notice it at first. It was when they got inside that they figured the lighthouse was in fact the way to the entrance; the interior had been adorned with blue flags with the "Star of Providence," symbol in the center. Above a set of stairs was a large picture of three people that neither Mabel or Will could recognize, a suave looking man, an old man, and a woman with curly blonde hair. Under the picture was a banner that read <em>"Shooting across the cosmos, may they continue to inspire us." <em>

"Wait a sec...I recognize one of those guys." Grunkle Stan said as he examined the man who stood in the center of the picture. A suave looking man with slick black hair and pencil thin mustache.

"Really, who is he?" Mabel asked.

"The guy's name was Andrew Ryan, real crackpot. They said he burned down a big chunk of land he owned just because people wanted to turn it into a park, but the guy was brilliant too." Grunkle Stan answered.

"How so?" Will asked.

"He managed to build an entire city under water and named it Rapture. He only invited the best and brightest into the city, but apparently it faced economic turmoil and everything went sour from there. Now the city is just sitting down there, becoming the world's largest deep sea coral reef. Heh, kind of ironic that he's being worshiped here, he was a hard core atheist when he was alive. " Grunkle Stan chuckled.

"So who are the other two?" Mabel asked.

"Don't know, probably other crackpots. C'mon, lets get going." Stan said as he walked down the stairs to the left. They walked down a spiraling corridor decorated with glowing constellations, creating an air of wonder, before reaching the bottom of the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs was what looked like an elevator, a very fancy glass elevator.

"Gotta admit, the old bat has some taste." Grunkle Stan said.

"Maybe you should hold off on the insults. They could be listening." Grunkle Stan mentally slapped himself when he realized that. Stan pressed the button on the elevator but instead of the doors opening, a ring sounded as a small radio appeared on the side of the elevator doors.

_"Good evening, are you those who have been chosen by the stars?" _A voice with a British accent asked.

"Yes, we are." Will answered.

_"If you truly have been chosen to be saved, give us the song of the stars." _Another small door opened to the left of the elevator. Within the cabinet was a piano keyboard of all things. They were joking right?

"They're joking, right?" Stan whispered.

"I tried to get you to look at the code. If you did, you would've noticed that the code is piano sheet music." Will said as he revealed the code page. He was right, it was piano sheet music. Will walked up to the keyboard and began to play the song. Mabel thought the melody sounded really nice, it sounded like a mix between new age music and gospel music. When her father finished playing the door to the keyboard closed before they heard another ring, and the doors to the elevator opened.

_"Welcome friends, please step inside the path to salvation." _All three Pines rolled their eyes. They shuffled into the elevator, the door closing instantly once everyone was on. The Pines could hear the cogs turning in the walls before they felt the all too familiar jump of an elevator beginning it's descent. Their descent was slow, with only the inner walls of a carved out cave shaft, though they did feel a sense of claustrophobia as time went on. The elevator came to an abrupt halt after what seemed like forever, the elevator door opened to a tram waiting for them through more tunnels. How much longer would it be before they even got to the city? A cackle on an intercom hanging on the ceiling.

_"Please enter the train car friends." _

"Am I the only one getting creeped out?" Grunkle Stan asked.

"Nope."

"Nuh-uh." The Pines stepped onto the the train car and just like before the door slammed shut as soon as they were all on and the train began to move. A screen suddenly appeared at the front of the train car. Gertrude Gleeful's image appeared on screen.

_"Greetings friends, my name is Gertrude Gleeful but you, fellow children of the stars, may call me Granny. In my youth, I had realized I could read what the stars tell me, a gift I was meant to share with the world; unfortunately, much of the world did not appreciate this gift, just as it did for the gifts of others, the dreamers who dared to dream of a better world, a world where mankind could pursue knowledge without the limit of petty morals limiting them, where family meant everything, and where a person could find spiritual peace without the persecution of others. I set out on my own journey to create such a paradise, a garden of Eden, I created," _The screen fell away and the Pines gasped. They momentarily forgot they were underground as they looked at a nighttime skyline of a city "_Elysium! The haven to the children of the stars, to the dreamers of the world. Where the best and brightest can pursue their dreams and many can find spiritual enlightenment. Welcome friends, welcome to Elysium." _

There were clouds, actual clouds hanging in the air and drifting over a very accurate replica of the moon. The buildings, some reaching up to forty or fifty stories high, reflected a combination of neoclassical Boston and the art-deco of New York. Trees and fields surrounded the outskirts of Elysium, and a large lake encircled the city; small boats were even sailing as the train crossed over a bridge.

"This...is really incredible." Will said.

"How could she even get this built? We're miles underground!" Stan exclaimed.

"I remember Dipper once told me there are caves in Vietnam are so big, they have clouds in the air, and trees growing. He even told me that a forty story building could fit in the cave. Maybe this is one of those kinds caves?" Mabel said. It was then the train stopped abruptly, knocking Will and Mabel into Grunkle Stan, effectively knocking them to the floor.

"Ugh...my back." Grunkle Stan moaned.

"My neck." Mabel groaned.

"Mabel, sweetie, your foot is in my kidney." Will said. The door to the train car opened to an eerily empty station, save for the one man standing with a big smile on his face, a bundle of jackets in his left arm, and a clipboard tucked under his right arm. He approached the new arrivals as they untangled from each other.

"Welcome to Elysium. My name is Waldo and I am here to guide you to where you will be staying as you build your new life here in Elysium." Waldo said as he handed each of the Pines a blue jacket.

"Now if I could just get your names?" He said as he clicked a pen that came out of nowhere and held up the clipboard. Stan and Will stuttered for a minute, they remembered they needed to use some sort of alias in Elysium.

"We're the Corduroys," Mabel pipped. "I'm Cindy Corduroy, and this is my father and Grand Uncle."

"Simon...Simon Corduroy!" Will stammered.

"And I'm Balthazar Corduroy." Stan said, earning a weird look from Will and Mabel.

"Alrighty then Corduroy family, follow me and we will lead you to your quarters. You are going to love it here." Waldo said as he lead them out of the station.

"Balthazar, really?" Will whispered as he and Grunkle Stan lingered behind some.

"Heh, I always wanted to be named Balthazar." Grunkle Stan answered with a smirk. Balthazar Pines had a nice ring to it if you asked him.

* * *

><p>The night was apparently young in Elysium as the streets were bustling with people, all dressed in blue, black, and white clothing, most of it styled back to the 1950's fashion. It would have been appealing if there was not so much blue, black, and white. Stan felt like it looked like a bruise of nostalgia over anything else. Mabel held onto her father's arm tightly as they walked through the streets; people kept smiling at them, greeting them, waving hello, it was a little off putting. Her younger self would not have mind seeing this sort of thing, but now, it just felt wrong.<p>

"So uh...where exactly are we going?" Will asked, just as nervous about the people around them.

"Every time someone comes to the city, we give them a temporary apartment with amenities as well as three months worth of funding for basic needs. The job market here is quite good and it won't be long until you are able to find a place of work," Waldo explained. It was then the guide suddenly stopped in his tracks as the smile on his face faded to that of fear, confusing the Pines family. The looked into the direction the guide seemed to be staring at and saw two little girls on the drawing on the sidewalk, chanting what sounded like a nursery rhyme. They were both dressed in the same styled collared dress, though in different tones of blue, and wore their hair in the same style ponytail. They looked like regular little girls, until one looked up. Mabel, Will, and Stan gasped in unison; her eyes glowed a pale yellow.

"_Look sissy, look. New angels have come." _Her voice sounded unearthly.

_"Hi new angels." _The other girl waved.

"Wha...what happened to those little girls?" Stan asked. He felt a pit form in his stomach; he knew what the answer was, he just didn't want it to be true. If it was, Dipper was in more danger than they thought. A stomping noise filled the air and an even more unearthly guttural groan reached their ears.

_"Look sissy," _One girl said. _"Daddy's here." _

"Make no sudden movements." Waldo warned through his teeth. A hulking mechanical beast emerged from the alleyway with heavy footsteps. It looked like a combination between a knight and a war tank, with white and blue armor covering nearly every part of it's body. Where it's helmet was were six rows of green lights, and on it's back was a tank of some sort of liquid.

_"Lets go sissy, lets go._" The two girls dropped their chalk and grabbed the beast's hands. The creature helped each girl onto it's shoulder before it turned around and walked off, it's heavy steps echoing through the the alleyway. Once the steps were far enough away, all four of them released the breath they had all had been unknowingly holding.

"What the heck was that?" Mabel demanded, somewhat shaken at the sight of the robot?

"Who were those kids?" Will asked, feeling as though he should've grabbed the two girls to protect them.

"What the heck is going on?" Stan demanded.

"STOP!" Waldo snapped. All three Pines went quiet. Waldo took a deep breath before gaining back his peppy composure.

"That was our protector program. Unfortunately not everything in our lovely city is as lovely as we want it to be. Some scoundrels still manage to get in and cause trouble, but with our protector program, crime here is near zero." Waldo explained.

"But what about the kids?" Will asked.

"Oh that, the protector program is child friendly, so our protectors will play with the children. Now lets move on, it is getting quite late."

"But...their eyes were glowing." Mabel said.

"You're tired, it's late, lets go!" Waldo said with impatience barely hidden under his perky voice as he began to push the Pines into the direction of the apartments. Stan leaned down to Will's ear.

"Follow my lead." He whispered, Will noddded. Stan looked around to make sure no one else was around.

"Wait...what are you doing...ACK!" Waldo screeched as Stan picked him up and shoved him into a dumpster in an alleyway, then proceeded to put some boxes on the lid to keep Waldo from escaping until they were long gone.

"Run!" Stan yelled. Will and Mabel exchanged looks before quickly catching up with Stan. After running for several blocks, they ducked behind an alleyway to catch their breaths.

"Grunkle Stan, won't he alert that protector program or something?" Mabel asked. Grunkle Stan reached into his pocket and pulled out a sleek white cellphone.

"Not without this. It will buy us some time." Stan smirked as he pulled out a sleek white cellphone.

"Good job Stan, you've blown our cover before we could even find Dipper." Will criticized.

"We were wasting time by sticking with that guy. Besides, the more I see here, the more I don't like." Stan said when he recalled the automaton from a few minutes before.

"Grunkle Stan, do you know something about those machines?" Mabel asked. He had that look in his eye. The very same look he had when Dipper summoned the dead from their graves. The look he had when he revealed he knew everything about the weird stuff about what happened in Gravity Falls. Grunkle Stan knew more than he was letting on about the machines and those kids. Stan looked down at his niece and saw the way she was looking at him. He couldn't lie to her.

"I may have not told you everything about Rapture." Stan admitted.

"Wait what? What else do you know?" Will asked.

"Look, let's find that bar we were supposed to go to and I'll tell you the rest of what I know." Grunkle Stan pulled out the map of the city in his jacket.

"Uh...Grunkle Stan." Mabel pointed to the neon sign above Stan.

_Last Hope Bar..._

"Well I'll be damned...we're here." The entrance looked like what most seedy bars looked in a city; out of the view of the general public with iron bars on the door and windows with only a small dim neon sign hanging on the wall. It was definitely meant to be found by people who were looking for it; the very type of place where a person would want to have a meeting without having to worry much about anyone they didn't want to hear. Inside the bar was dim and somewhat smokey. The people inside were hidden in the shadows save for the bartender behind the counter. The bartender eyed the new visitors suspiciously before spotting Mabel.

"Hey no kids are allowed in here!" He snapped.

"I'm not a kid!" Mabel snapped back.

"Uh sorry about this sir, we were just looking for someone and thought they might be here." Will said.

"For the love of..." Stan said under his breath. "We're looking for someone who comes here named Rachel. Anyone know her?" The bar was quiet, a few coughs from patrons here and there but no one was talking.

"I don't know any Rachel, now get out of my bar before you draw any unwanted attention!" The bartender snapped as he sent the bouncer their way.

"Wait!" A voice called. A young woman with honey blonde hair tied into a pony-tail, pale skin, and eerie yellow eyes approached them. She wore a white t-shirt under a dark blue jacket, black pants and a red handkerchief around her neck. She had a large scar on her neck and right cheek. Even without the scar though, there was something about her that made her intimidating to those around her. Mabel could have sworn the woman's eyes became had a redder tint when she looked at the bouncer.

"They are with me." She said. The bouncer backed off as the young woman directed the Pines to the back of the bar. They took a seat in the farthest booth at the farthest end of the bar. They sat across from each other, exchanging awkward looks.

"So, you're Rachel, right?" Stan asked as he held up the tape player.

"I am, and you are the Pines, right?" Rachel asked. Stan nodded.

"Miss, do you really know where Dipper is?" Mabel asked, her voice quivering somewhat.

"Yes I do and I wish to help rescue him."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry for taking so long with this chapter. It was getting close to the end of the semester and I needed to focus on school. Next chapter won't take so long (or will be as boring)<strong>


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